Microsoft announces a bevy of Xbox One sequels, exclusives

Mechs, shooting, and world-building will tide gamers over until 2014's new Halo game.

After an initial reveal event last month that focused primarily on non-gaming features, Microsoft used its E3 press conference today to talk about games, with a bunch of exclusive and non-exclusive titles demoed and announced.

Perhaps the biggest announcement for the mainstream gaming audience is the revelation of a game that won't actually be out when the Xbox One hits the shelves: Halo 5. While the title won't be ready at the launch of the new system, Microsoft promised the game will be available in the first half of 2014.

Ryse: Son of Rome

Forza 5

Microsoft also released video of the story-based exclusive title Quantum Break, first made public at last month's reveal. A long video of Crytek-developed third-person shooter (well, sword-stabber, as it's set in Roman times) Ryse: Son of Rome was shown. At one point in this game's development it used Kinect motion controls, but not any longer; now it's a regular gamepad game that looks like it's chock full of quick time events and gore. Forza 5 was given a test-drive and will boast some cloud gaming features. The game will have virtualized avatars that drive based on the way you drive and will replace the dumb AI drivers that driving games typically have.

Quantum Break

Cloud processing was also a part of exclusive shooter Sunset Overdrive, which takes place in a large open world that will change "every day" in some way or another. It will have free running and a stylized, bright, and colorful graphical style.

Also exclusive is a new version of fighting game Killer Instinct, a dragon game Crimson Dragon from the makers of Panzer Dragoon, and Dead Rising 3, the third installment of the zombie survival horror franchise.

Project Spark.

Microsoft also showed an extended demo of another semi-exclusive title, Project Spark. This is a world-building game that looks like it will combine elements of Minecraft, Little Big Planet, and Spore. The player can sculpt the environment, imbue objects around them with behavior and intelligence, build forts, and defend against hordes of goblins and other mythical creatures. It's "semi-exclusive" because it will be available on both Xbox One and Windows 8. Speaking of Minecraft, that too will receive an Xbox One version so that your giant pixels can be rendered in 1080p.

Brief glimpses of a couple of other exclusives were also shown: a mysterious title called D4, where essentially the only thing disclosed was the name, and What Lies Below, a new roguelike.

The company wrapped up the Microsoft-exclusive content with an extended video of first-person shooter-with-mechs Titanfall. Like Project Spark, this will also be available on PC, and there will also be a version for Xbox 360.

On the cross-platform front, Microsoft showed videos of Metal Gear Solid V (which will upset many as David Hayer isn't doing the voice work, having been replaced by Kiefer Sutherland). The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt also got a mention, as did Battlefield 4. While the latest Battlefield will be cross-platform, its DLC will have timed exclusivity on Xbox One.